ABSTRACT
The British and Commonwealth forces went onto the offensive in Borneo from August 1964 until three months before the formal cessation of hostilities on 11 August 1966. The offensive took the form of top secret, cross-border operations and raids code-named CLARET, and proved to be an integral factor in the successful conclusion of the military campaign. It would be specious to credit Sukarno’s fall from power in March 1966 solely to the military failure of Confrontation. CLARET was a politico-military tool employed in response to political situations as it was to military ones. The chapter examines the circumstances which made CLARET a necessity, the political nature and extent of the operations, and its sensitivity to political changes. Special Air Service patrols’ role in CLARET became reconnoitering enemy bases and lines of communication, and leading raiding or ambush parties to these targets. CLARET was part of a new strategy designed to stop Indonesian incursions by forcing them onto the defensive.
